Cell Phone Antenna

[samsonlonghair]

I need help with cell reception. I recently moved to a new office in a brick building. The material of the building seems to impede cell reception. I only get one bar (if any).

I have looked into cell phone "boosters" most of which seem to be the cell equivalent of wireless repeaters. The sticker shock sent me reeling. I'm not spending $200-$300 for improved signal. This led me to think of cell phone antennas.

In my previous job, I had to drive with a cell phone. This is something I wouldn't think of doing today. This was back around 2004, an era before smartphones and "put it down" campaigns. I remember that my company had cell phones with external antennas that magnet-ed to the roof of the car. A long wire would run from the antenna to the cell phone.

Today I open up the back of my cell phone. I take out the battery, and I see three little jacks that look like MCX connectors.

I think this is the same style of connectors that some GPS antennas use.

Is there a simple antenna I can buy for less than $35 that I can plug into this phone to improve my reception?

My phone model is Kyocera Rise. I'm on Virgin Mobile (wich uses Sprint's CDMA network).

[Anapan]

Those boosters really do work great - in areas where there's no reception for miles you can have full bars in a large radius around the booster. I did buy a couple of the antennas and they seemed to help a little. Wilson Electronics seems to be the leader with these things. They made all the boosters I've used on job sites and the antennas I bought. tho the adapter for my antennas was some other company and it broke shortly after I got it.